Page 46 - BusinessWest August 3, 2020

PRUDENCE BLOND
DENISE JORDAN
Prudence Blond has been promoted to vice president and trust officer at Greenfield Savings Bank. In her new posi- tion, Blond, as a client service officer, oversees the adminis- tration and tax departments and also works with the Bank’s internal and external auditors.
Blond joined the bank after graduating from Green- field Community College in 1997 as a teller. In 1999, she was promoted to trust operations associate with responsibility for processing operational work along with administrative assistant tasks of the GSB Trust Department. Over the next 10 years, she began to work directly clients and was promoted to assistant trust officer, then trust officer, then to assistant vice president and trust officer before her new promo- tion to vice president and trust officer. After graduat- ing from GCC, she earned a personal trust diploma through the American Bankers Assoc. in 2011 and a general financial services diploma through the Cen- tre for Financial Training. She has continued to take educational classes in administration, personal tax preparation, trust and estate-tax preparation, finan- cial planning, and IRAs. She earned her certified trust and financial advisor (CTFA) designation in 2012
also announced that Russell Peotter and Annamarie Golden will continue for an additional year in their current roles as chair and vice chair, respectively. Francia Wisnewski will continue as clerk, and Callie Niezgoda as treasurer.
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The Community Founda-
tion of Western Massachu- setts (CFWM) announced two new staff members, filling
key development and finance roles at the organization. Daisy Pereira-Tosado joins CFWM as director of Philanthropy, and Didi de Almeida has been
hired as account manager. Pereira-Tosado is responsible for bolstering and diversifying the foundation’s development strategy. She brings 25 years
of experience in the nonprofit arena and has led and served in leadership roles for commu- nity-based organizations, most recently as senior director of
Philanthropy at New England Public Media. Pereira- Tosado has developed many valuable resources for
MassMutual Retirement Servic- es, working directly with finan- cial advisors and employers to educate about 401(k) and other qualified retirement-savings plans. In 2007, he co-authored a book on practice manage- ment for advisors titled To
Sell or Not to Sell ... Employer
Retirement Plans. He has been featured in numerous publications, including the
Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, the Miami Her- ald, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Kiplinger, Finan- cial Planning, Investment News, and the London Stock Exchange. Jordan was born and raised in the city of Springfield. She attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science, and in 2000, she earned a mas- ter’s degree in human resource development from American International College. AIC presented Jor- dan with an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2019, awarded for outstanding achievement in the social sciences and for significant community contribu- tions at the local and national levels. Jordan worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in a variety of roles for more than 20 years. In 2008, she became the city of Springfield’s first African-American chief of staff, a position she held for more than a decade in the office of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. She currently serves as executive director of the Spring- field Housing Authority, the third-largest public housing authority in the state. She has held seats on many boards and has won several awards for her vol- unteer work.
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Christopher Heights of Northampton announced that Crystal Cote-Stosz has joined its team as executive director, effective immediately. Cote-Stosz brings a long his- tory of elder-care experience. She began her career in elder care in 2007 as an informa- tion and referral specialist and
later moved up to a geriatric resource advisor with Greater Springfield Senior Services. In 2009, she
and her family relocated to Easthampton, and in 2010, she accepted a position in social work at the Northampton Senior Center. Within a year at the senior center, she was promoted to assistant director. Her responsibilities included volunteer recruitment, scheduling, training, and supervising the social worker, activities director, and fitness center, ensur- ing the needs of elders in the Northampton commu- nity were met with dignity, respect, and enthusiasm. Cote-Stosz’s commitment to serving elders presented a new opportunity in 2016 at the Lathrop Home in Northampton, where she accepted the position of executive director in 2016 and focused her talents on expanding relationships with community partners, developing effective teams within the Lathrop com- munity, and increasing resident census to stabilize the operations of the home. She said she enjoyed the growth opportunity and experiences she had at the Lathrop Home and is now accepting this new oppor- tunity to expand to a larger community.
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Country Bank announced several grant recipients
associated with its Community Heroes campaign, an effort to recognize exceptional acts of service by local individuals in the region and the continued fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the cam-
People
Continued on page 47
DAISY PEREIRA-TOSADO
DIDI DE ALMEIDA
People on the Move
the local community as an active volunteer for local orga- nizations such as Girls Inc. of Holyoke, Link to Libraries, and the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee. She
through the Institute of Certified Banks. Blond is cur- rently serving on the board of directors, personnel committee, and nominating committee at LifePath Inc. (formerly known as Franklin County Home Care Corp.). She is a member of the annual campaign team at Greenfield Community College. She has pre- viously served on the board of trustees, as treasurer, and as Sunday school superintendent at Robbins Memorial Church.
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Michael Tucker, president and CEO, announced that Kevin Bowler has joined Greenfield Cooperative Bank as the new senior vice president of Loan Resolution. He began working in the Northampton office on July 1. “Kevin brings to us over 30 years of lending experience,” Tucker said. “We are lucky to
have someone with his level of experience in han- dling and working with commercial and residential credits to help them through these times.” Bowler, who will report directly to Tony Worden, executive vice president and chief operating officer, previously worked for Peoples United Bank (the Bank of West- ern Massachusetts). He has a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University.
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Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV ) recently welcomed
Lidya Rivera-Early of Springfield Technical Com- munity College (STCC) to its board of directors. Rivera-Early has a demonstrated history of serving on various boards and committees within the com- munity. As an LPV LEAP alumna, she also brings
a passion for both the mission of the organization and the continued success of the Pioneer Valley. “We are delighted to have Lidya join us,” said Lora Won- dolowski, Leadership Pioneer Valley executive direc- tor. “Lidya understands firsthand the value of LPV. She will bring her voice, skills, and experiences to the board and will help LPV to fulfill its mission of build- ing and connecting more diverse, committed, and effective leadership for the Pioneer Valley.” The Board
is a graduate of Boston University. Meanwhile, de Almeida brings seven years of experience in non- profit accounting management for local nonprofit organizations, and recently earned her MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Prior to her graduate studies, de Almeida was fiscal manager for the Center for New Americans, business manager for the Brick House Community Resource Center, and staff accountant for the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center. Her experience includes budgeting, compliance, financial reporting, expense tracking, tax filing, and audit preparation.
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Bulkley Richardson announced that Christopher
Gelino will be spending the next several weeks at the firm as a summer associate. During this assignment, he will have the opportunity to assist with legal work from all practice areas within the firm. Gelino is cur- rently attending the University of Connecticut School of Law with an expected graduation date of May 2021. He is a 2014 graduate of the University of Con- necticut, where he received degrees in both political science and human rights, and was recognized as
a university honors scholar. He also earned a mas- ter’s degree in international politics in 2017 from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the Univer- sity of London.
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American International Col- lege (AIC) recently welcomed two members to its board of trustees: E. Thomas Foster and Denise Jordan. Foster
is managing director of the Retirement Advisor Univer- sity Speakers Bureau. A 1970 graduate of American Interna- tional College, he also attended
Suffolk University Law School. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he is well-regarded as an indus- try expert, educating and advising individuals and businesses on the retirement marketplace, including products, legislation, regulation, and compliance. Most recently, Foster served as the spokesperson for
CRYSTAL COTE-STOSZ
KEVIN BOWLER
E. THOMAS FOSTER
46 AUGUST 3, 2020
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